McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers – förlag

By now, parapsychology should have become an accepted scientific field of research. However, there is great resistance to parapsychological research despite the strength of evidence in favor of conducting it.

This collection of essays focuses on the future of the psychical research field. One essay speculates about a kind of future when psychic phenomena are studied in every university. Another identifies 10 areas of potential difficulty facing parapsychology. Other essays indicate areas where conclusions may need re-examination and refinement and presents possibilities for innovative approaches to future study. Some of the areas of study covered include altered states of consciousness, ESP, Meta-Analysis, the theory of psychopraxia, and sociological and phenomenological issues.

A popular phenomenon since antiquity, the image of the haunted house is one that has translated elegantly into the modern medium of film. The haunted house transcends genre, appearing in mysteries, gothic romances, comedies and horror films. This book is the first comprehensive historical and critical study of themes surrounding haunted houses in film. Covering more than 100 films, it spans from the Mystery House thrillers of the silent era to the high-tech, big budget productions of the 21st Century. Included are the works of such acclaimed directors as D.W. Griffith, Robert Wise, Mario Bava, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Tim Burton and Guillermo Del Toro. The book also covers the real-life "haunted house" phenomenon and movies based on paranormal case files, including those featured in films like the Conjuring series.

Game of Thrones, one of the hottest series on television, leaves hundreds of critics divided on how "feminist" the show really is. Certainly the female characters, strong and weak, embody a variety of archetypes--widow queens, warrior women, damsels in distress, career women, priestesses, crones, mothers and maidens. However, the problem is that most of them play a single role without nuance--even the "strong women" have little to do besides strut about as one-note characters. This book analyzes the women and their portrayals one by one, along with their historical inspirations. Accompanying issues in television studies also appear, from the male gaze to depiction of race. How these characters are treated in the series and how they treat themselves becomes central, as many strip for the pleasure of men or are sacrificed as pawns. Some nude scenes or moments of male violence are fetishized and filmed to tantalize, while others show the women''s trauma and attempt to identify with the scene''s female perspective. The key is whether the characters break out of their traditional roles and become multidimensional.

With their intimate settings, subdued action and likeable characters, cozy mysteries are rarely seen as anything more than light entertainment. The cozy, a subgenre of crime fiction, has been historically misunderstood and often overlooked as the subject of serious study. This anthology brings together a groundbreaking collection of essays that examine the cozy mystery from a range of critical viewpoints.

The authors engage with the standard classification of a cozy, the characters who appear in its pages, the environment where the crime occurs and how these elements reveal the cozy story''s complexity in surprising ways. Essays analyze cozy mysteries to argue that Agatha Christie is actually not a cozy writer; that Columbo fits the mold of the cozy detective; and that the stories'' portrayals of settings like the quaint English village reveal a more complicated society than meets the eye.

Marxist theories have had a profound influence on crime fiction, beginning with the works of the American writers of the 1930s. This study explores the development of a Swedish Marxist noir subgenre after the 1990s through a Marxist reading of central works, from the Marlowe novels of Raymond Chandler to the 1960s social crime fiction of Sjowall-Wahloo to modern bestselling authors such as Henning Mankell, Stieg Larsson, Roslund & Hellstrom, Jens Lapidus, Arne Dahl and others. The works of these writers show a common thread of Marxist worldview in their portrayal of a modern world gone wrong.

For fifty years, the newsreel was a fixture in American movie theaters. Released twice a week, less than ten minutes long, each had news footage that combined journalism with entertainment. With the advent of television news programs after World War II, newsreels began to be obsolete, but they remain the first instances of moving image photographic journalism and were for decades a unique source of information--and misinformation. This history details the full span of the American newsreel from 1911 to 1967, discussing the European forerunners, changes in the American version over time, and the ethical and unethical use of newsreels in present-day television documentaries. Photographs, bibliography and index.

Norway''s Spitsbergen Archipelago, known as Svalbard to the Norwegians, is of increasing interest to Arctic scholars and geographers, as well as to military historians and analysts of strategy. It was the farthest northern battleground between German and Allied forces in World War II; it became a political arena for Soviet and U.S. competition during the Cold War; it is now a field of conflict for fishing rights and cultural resource protection; and it serves as a laboratory for the study of global warming. This unique island group occupies a fascinating place in European, Russian, and American affairs.

Here, for the first time, is the complete report compiled by U.S. Intelligence at the beginning of World War II evaluating the islands both geographically and militarily, as well as a report on the archipelago produced by the CIA in 1950. This comprehensive report--never superseded in the years since--has been edited and introduced by P.J. Capelotti. It provides in great detail the American perspective on these islands and their strategic, economic, and geologic value. Maps and illustrations are included, some from the original report, some new. A glossary covers Arctic terms.

This book deals with film depictions of Imperial Japan from the time it was a totalitarian power to the productions of recent years. It especially covers wartime depictions, as well as the historical events that inspire the stories behind these productions. In the 1930s, Hollywood gave us the likeable Mr. Moto at the same time Japan was set on its expansionist course. When war broke out, both the Allies and the Axis produced propaganda films that increased hatred for the enemy. In the postwar years as the Cold War took hold, the U.S. government encouraged friendship with their former wartime enemy. This book details correspondence between studio personnel and the Production Code office, as well as the critiques of film reviewers, historians and military figures from both sides of the conflict. Also examined are behind-the-scenes machinations from both the Japanese and American governments in the censorship of controversial film content.

Most bonsai enthusiasts are familiar with the process of growing these miniature trees in soil, a method that dates back 2000 years. This instructional book explains a new method of growing bonsai trees in sphagnum moss, producing beautiful results with far less work than the traditional method.

All topics pertinent to the growing of bonsai trees in sphagnum moss are covered, including watering, fertilizing, trimming and pruning, anti-fungicides and insecticides, bonsai styles and diagnosing problems.

A huge improvement over traditional practices, the sphagnum moss method makes the growing of miniature trees much quicker and easier and opens the hobby to a wider range of enthusiasts. This handbook is appropriate for both horticulturalists and amateurs.

Brittany Murphy (1977-2009) was an American film, television, and stage actress, singer, voice artist, and film producer. Beginning her career, 1995''s Clueless proved to be her breakthrough film; notable roles followed in Girl, Interrupted (1999), Don''t Say a Word (2001), 8 Mile (2002), and Just Married (2003). Despite the lead in Uptown Girls (2003), the production of The Ramen Girl (2008), and a long-running voice role on the animated television series King of the Hill (1997-2010), subsequent leading roles were less successful. Her later acting years were plagued by scandal and bad press, and the once critically acclaimed actress died of pneumonia at the young age of 32, shrouded by mystery. The first to span her life and career, this biography surveys Murphy''s films, television appearances, stage shows, music videos, and public appearances in the order in which they were made. Critical reactions to and awards earned for her works are featured as is a selection of portraits, film stills and posters.

Slow to rise in the literary world, Octavia Estelle Butler cultivated musings on earth''s future, reaching massive critical acclaim in the process. This companion will complement book club discussions and classroom lessons for the closest possible readings of Butler''s science fiction and her texts on racism and pollution. A maven of speculative fiction so prescient that it hovers between tocsin and prophecy, Butler survives through her print stories, essays, novels and musings on individualism and compromise. This book guides the reader on a variety of Butler pieces, from her most obscure titles to her historical entries and pieces that speculate upon science, metaphysics, linguistics, psychology, writing and religion. The text serves as a guide through the depths of Octavia Butler''s works and reinforces the reasons for which her name so often appears on reading lists for higher learning.

An Iowa boy away at college, Verne Lyon was recruited by the CIA to spy on college professors and fellow students as part of Operation CHAOS, a massive surveillance program at the height of the Vietnam War. Framed by his handlers for an airport bombing, he was later sent to Cuba to subvert the Castro regime. Balking at increasingly nefarious missions, he tried to quit: twice kidnapped by the CIA, he landed in Leavenworth. Today a free man, his memoir details his journey through the secret workings of the U.S. government.

Issues of race, class, gender and religion permeate the study of contemporary dance, resulting in cultural clashes in classrooms and studios. The first of its kind, this book provides dance educators with tools to refocus teaching methods to celebrate the pluralism of the United States. The contributors discuss how to diversify ballet technique classes and dance history courses in higher education, choreographing dance about socially charged contemporary issues, and incorporating Native American dances into the curriculum, among other topics. The application of relevant pedagogy in the dance classroom enables instructors to teach methods that reflect students'' culture and affirm their experiences.

Best known for his unique musical style and blindingly fast hybrid picking technique, English guitarist Albert Lee is often referred to within the music industry as the "guitar player''s guitar player," renowned for his work across several genres of music and for the respect that he has garnered from other industry giants.

This comprehensive biography tells the entire story of Lee''s long career and personal experiences, beginning with his upbringing in south London and his early experimentations with skiffle music (the British equivalent of American rockabilly). It covers Lee''s career in Chris Farlowe''s Thunderbirds and the British rock and country group Heads, Hands, and Feet, his move to the United States in the 1970s and his subsequent work with Eric Clapton, the Crickets, Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band, the Everly Brothers, and, more recently, with Bill Wyman and with Hogan''s Heroes. Lee''s career is set against the background of changes in popular music and shows how he, as a British artist with nomadic Romany roots, has influenced traditionally "American" musical genres. The work includes 66 photographs, many from Lee''s personal collection, two appendices, and an extensive bibliography.

More than 30 years after its 1985 release on the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Mario Bros. continues to be one of the best-selling video games of all time. For many, completing the classic side-scrolling platformer remains challenging enough to provide many hours of entertainment.

In late 2016 an American gamer known online as "darbian" completed the game in record time, rescuing Princess Peach in 4 minutes, 56 seconds. darbian practices speedrunning, a method of play in which quick reflexes and intimate familiarity with games are used to complete them in the fastest possible time.

Through 10 interviews with darbian and other elite speedrunners, this book explores the history and techniques of this intense and competitive type of gaming.

A television genre best known for romantic storytelling, daytime soap operas have for decades spun tales of couples embroiled in passion, lust and adventure. Yet it was not until the early 1980s that star-crossed lovers became standard and the term "super couple" was coined by the media, marking a new era of experimentation and growth in daytime soaps.

This book documents the phenomenon, tracing its history, legacy and impact on the soap opera industry and on popular culture at large.

Against the backdrop of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, California, the Los Angeles Lakers have become not only one of professional basketball''s most treasured gems, but an internationally-renowned sports icon. With the wizardry of players who require only one name--Elgin, West, Wilt, Kareem, Magic, Shaq, Kobe--the Lakers grew from a promising Midwestern team starting afresh in the City of Angels and becoming one of the most successful corporate giants in the history of athletic competition.

This definitive encyclopedia of the Lakers provides all vital data pertaining to each season of the team''s first 50 years in Los Angeles, including biographies of Hall of Famers, other great performers, and coaches; complete rosters; season-by-season schedules and statistics; draft picks; and records and individual accomplishments.

While many American superheroes have multiple powers and complex gadgets, the Flash is simply fast. This simplicity makes his character easily comprehendible for all audiences, whether they are avid comic fans or newcomers to the genre, and in turn he has become one of the most iconic figures in the comic-book industry. This collection of new essays serves as a stepping-stone to an even greater understanding of the Flash, examining various iterations of his character--including those of Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, Wally West and Bart Allen--and what they reveal about the era in which they were written.

Final Fantasy VII altered the course of video game history when it was released in 1997 on Sony''s PlayStation system. It converted the Japanese role-playing game into an international gaming standard with enhanced gameplay, spectacular cutscenes and a vast narrative involving an iconic cast. In the decades after its release, the Final Fantasy VII franchise has grown to encompass a number of video game sequels, prequels, a feature-length film, a novel and a multi-volume remake series.

This volume, the first edited collection of essays devoted only to the world of Final Fantasy VII, blends scholarly rigor with fan passion in order to identify the elements that keep Final Fantasy VII current and exciting for players. Some essays specifically address the game''s perennially relevant themes and scenarios, ranging from environmental consciousness to economic inequity and posthumanism. Others examine the mechanisms used to immerse the player or to improve the narrative. Finally, there are several essays devoted specifically to the game''s legacy, from its influence on later games to its characters'' many crossovers and cameos.

This volume examines how people in Poland learn about Jewish life, culture and history, including the Holocaust. The main text provides background on concepts such as culture, identity and stereotypes, as well as on specific topics such as Holocaust education as curriculum, various educational institutions, and the connection of arts and cultural festivals to identity and culture. It also gives a brief overview of Polish history and Jewish history in Poland, as well as providing insight into how the Holocaust and Jewish life and culture are viewed and taught in present-day Poland.

This background material is supported by essays by Poles who have been active in the changes that have taken place in Poland since 1989. A young Jewish-Polish man gives insight into what it is like to grow up in contemporary Poland, and a Jewish-Polish woman who was musical director and conductor of the Jewish choir, Tslil, gives her view of learning through the arts. Essays by Polish scholars active in Holocaust education and curriculum design give past, present and future perspectives of learning about Jewish history and culture.

John Kenneth Muir is back! This time, the author of the acclaimed Horror Films of the 1970s turns his attention to 300 films from the 1980s. From horror franchises like Friday the 13th and Hellraiser to obscurities like The Children and The Boogens, Muir is our informative guide.

Muir introduces the scope of the decade''s horrors, and offers a history that draws parallels between current events and the nightmares unfolding on cinema screens. Each of the 300 films is discussed with detailed credits, a brief synopsis, a critical commentary, and where applicable, notes on the film''s legacy beyond the 80s. Also included is the author''s ranking of the 15 best horror films of the 80s.

Few people can claim the distinction of experiencing first-hand such occurrences as hauntings and the presence of poltergeists, but countless numbers of people are fascinated by these unexplainable events. Written by the world''s most knowledgeable authorities in this field, the essays in this work promote a better understanding of the manifestations of and various reasons for hauntings and poltergeist phenomena. The experts come from such backgrounds as anthropology, history, philosophy, psychiatry, and sociology, and provide sober yet highly readable in-depth discussions of numerous ideas and rationalizations for hauntings and poltergeists, from a critical and scientific perspective. Divided into three major sections--sociocultural, physical and physiological, and psychological perspectives--this work provides an overview of each perspective and also addresses the general psychology of belief in the paranormal and how that belief relates to experiences with ghosts and poltergeists.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the bestselling and most influential video games of the past decade. From the return of world-threatening dragons to an ongoing civil war, the province of Skyrim is rich with adventure, lore, magic, history, and stunning vistas. Beyond its visual spectacle alone, Skyrim is an exemplary gameworld that reproduces out-of-game realities, controversies, and histories for its players. Being Dragonborn, then, comes to signify a host of ethical and ideological choices for the player, both inside and outside the gameworld. These essays show how playing Skyrim, in many ways, is akin to "playing" 21st century America with its various crises, conflicts, divisions, and inequalities. Topics covered include racial inequality and white supremacy, gender construction and misogyny, the politics of modding, rhetorics of gameplay, and narrative features.

"There''s nothing happens to a person that can''t be cured if you get what it takes to do it. We come out of the earth, and there''s something in the earth to cure everything … I don''t fix a tonic until I''m sure what''s wrong with a person. I don''t make guesses. I have to be sure, because medicine can do bad as well as good, and I don''t want to hurt anybody.… Maybe it takes some herbs. Maybe it takes some touching. But most of all, it takes faith"--Vernon Cooper, Lumbee healer.

The Lumbee Indian tribe has lived in the coastal plain of North Carolina for centuries, and most Lumbee continue to live in rural areas of Robeson County with access to a number of healing plants and herbs used in the form of teas, poultices, and salves to treat common ailments. The first section of this book describes and documents the numerous plant and herbal remedies that the Lumbee have used for centuries and continue to use today. There are remedies for ailments relating to cancer (external and internal), the circulatory and digestive systems, the heart, hypertension and hypotension, infections and parasitic diseases, asthma, pregnancy, sprains, swellings, and muscle, skeletal and joint disorders, to name just a few. The second portion of this work records the words, recollections and wellness philosophies of living Lumbee elders, healers, and community leaders.

The information presented in this book is not intended to be a substitute for the advice or treatment from a physician. The authors do not advocate self-diagnosis or self-medication, and warn that any plant substance may cause an allergic or extremely unhealthy reaction in some people.

In the earliest years of the 20th century, North American ballroom dancers favored the waltz or the polka. But then a new dance, the tango, broke onto the scene when Vernon and Irene Castle performed it in a Broadway musical. Rudolph Valentino, Arthur Murray, and Xavier Cugat popularized it in the 1920s and 1930s, and thousands of people crowded onto dance floors around the country to hear the music and dance the tango.

This work chronicles the history of the tango in the United States, from its antecedents in Argentina, Paris and London to the present day. It covers the dancers, musicians, and composers, and the tango''s influence on American music.

It''s a rare comic character who can make audiences laugh for well over half a century--but then again, it''s a pretty rare cartoon hero who can boast of forearms thicker than his waist, who can down a can of spinach in a single gulp, or who generally faces the world with one eye squinted completely shut.

When E.C. Segar''s gruff but lovable sailor man first tooted his pipe to the public on January 7, 1929, it was not in the animated cartoon format for which he is best known today (and which would become the longest running series in film history). Instead it was on the comics page of the New York Journal, as Segar''s Thimble Theatre strip. Over the decades to come, Popeye was to appear on radio, television, stage, and even in a live-action feature film.

This comprehensive and lavishly illustrated history is a thoroughly updated and revised edition of the highly acclaimed 1994 work. Animated series and films are examined, noting the different directions each studio took and the changing character designs of the Popeye family. Popeye in other media--comics, books, radio, and a stage play--is thoroughly covered, as are Robert Altman''s 1980 live-action film, and Popeye memorabilia.

In the United States during the early 1980s, hundreds of day care providers were accused of sexually abusing their young charges in satanic rituals that included blood drinking, cannibalism, and human sacrifice. The panic surrounding the ritual abuse of children has spread quickly to Canada, Europe, and Australasia, and its rapid dispersion has been unimpeded by international investigations that found no evidence to corroborate the allegations and warned that a moral panic was thrusting them into professional public attention.

This work is a sociologically based analysis of the day care ritual abuse panic in America. It introduces the concept of moral panic and analyzes its relevance to the ritual abuse scare, explores the ideological, political, economic, and professional forces that fomented the panic, discusses the McMartin Preschool case as the incident that brought attention to satanic menaces and children, and examines the dialect between the various interest groups that stirred up and spread the moral panic and the day care providers accused of ritual abuse. Also covered are the popular culture representations of day care ritual abuse, the diffusion of the scare to areas overseas, the institutionally symbolic and ideologically contradictory social ends of the panic, and the outcomes of the panic in various settings. The book ends with a discussion of moral panic theory and how it needs to be changed for a complex, multi-mediated postmodern culture, and what lessons can be learned from the scare.